Why is a marathon 26.2 miles long? The standard marathon distance of 26 miles and 385 yards wasn’t always set in stone — it was only officially standardized in 1921. Whether you’re in marathon training mode or simply curious about the event’s history, the answer is not as straightforward as it seems.
For starters, the exact distance of a marathon is 26.2188 miles or 42.195 kilometers.
Not exactly a common distance, is it?
The story of the marathon’s length spans millennia and is shaped by three major events, beginning in ancient Greece and culminating in 1908, when it was held in front of Queen Alexandra.
Why a Marathon Is 26.2 Miles: The 3 Defining Events
Event #1: The Battle of Marathon
The inspiration for the marathon as a running event dates back to a Greek myth from 490 BC.
Marathon is actually a small Greek town that still stands today, with around 7,000 inhabitants.
Back in ancient Greece, it was the site of the Battle of Marathon – a huge clash between the Greeks and the invading Persians.
Despite the Persians heavily outnumbering the Greeks, the Greeks won the battle. This was a critical Greek victory for them in pushing back the invaders.
The popular myth goes that when the Greeks won the battle, they sent a messenger, Pheidippides, to Athens to deliver the good news. Pheidippides ran the entire 25 miles from Marathon to Athens.
After he announced ‘Victory!’ to the awaiting Greeks, he collapsed from exhaustion and died soon thereafter.
Several sources dispute the accuracy of these events from 490 BC, but the myth was popularized and became one of the enduring, universally told tales of Ancient Greece—and thus the story was born.
The distance between Marathon and Athens is around 25 miles, depending on your route. But we know that’s not the accepted official marathon length.
For the next part of the story, let’s fast-forward from Ancient Greece to Athens in 1896.
Another article you might enjoy: When Was Running Invented?
Event #2: The 1896 Olympic Games
The first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896.
The intention was to host the world’s best and strongest athletes in a global event inspired by the ancient Greek Olympic contests held 2000 years earlier.
While devising the various athletic events, a French semanticist, Michel Bréal, proposed a running event to re-create the mythical journey of Pheidippides.
The Olympic planning committee loved the idea. They used the same route the messenger had purportedly used 2,400 years earlier and decided to name the event after the town where it had all started; the modern-day marathon was born.
The first Olympic marathon race was a success. Spyridon Louis took first place, completing the roughly 25 miles in 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds.
The 1896 Olympic Games in Athens were well received and became a fixture, held every four years in various major cities worldwide.
The marathon became a fixture of the Olympics, though the race distance varied slightly at each event, always hovering around 25 miles.
It wasn’t until the 1908 Olympics, hosted in London, that the final distance was standardized.
Event #3: The 1908 London Olympic Games
The organizers of the 1908 Olympic Games, hosted in London, had originally planned a 26-mile route from Windsor Castle to the entrance of the White City Stadium.
However, rumor has it that Queen Alexandra specifically asked that the marathon start in the lawn of Windsor Castle so the young royals could watch it and finish in front of the royal box at White City Stadium.
This addition, at the British Royal family’s request, added 385 yards, hence making the event 26.2188 miles.
The first-ever 26.2-mile marathon was held on the final day of the 1908 London Olympics and was not without controversy.
Italy’s Dorando Pietri entered the Olympic stadium first but was clearly exhausted. He famously collapsed several times and ran in the wrong direction.
Dorando had to be helped across the finish line by two medics and still crossed first.
However, several other competitors complained that he had been unfairly supported, so first place eventually went to American Johnny Hayes, who set a new Olympic record with 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 18.4 seconds.
Although the 1908 London Olympic marathon popularized the 26 miles 385 yards distance, it wasn’t officially standardized until 1921, when the International Amateur Athletic Federation (now World Athletics) adopted it as the official marathon length.
Once standardized, the marathon quickly became a symbol of endurance rather than just competition — a distance that ordinary runners could aspire to finish, not just an elite athlete’s race.
The ‘Marathon Mania’ of the 20th century is well-known.
Marathons are now held everywhere, from the Boston Marathon and the London Marathon to the Great Wall of China.
Millions of regular people now line up at the starting line of the 26.2-mile long-distance challenge inspired by the Greek messenger.
4 Fun Methods Of Measuring Marathon Length
Now that you know why a modern marathon is 26.2 miles long (or 26 miles 385 yards), if you’re interested in other ways to think about the marathon length, whether it’s the number of times you’d have to run round a football pitch, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, or how it feels subjectively, the following guide:
And for those interested in training for a marathon, I’m here to help!
Check out my library of free, downloadable marathon training plans, or sign up for my free 5-Day bootcamp below!
Very interesting!